Daijiworld Media Network - Modamathi

Modamathi, Feb 16: A two-year-old female leopard died after getting entangled in a barbed wire fence at a farmland in Modamathi village, located within 500 metres of the forest boundary.

Forest department officials suspect that the animal had strayed out of a nearby grove early on Sunday and accidentally got caught in the fence while attempting to cross into the farmland.

Veterinary assistant surgeons Vijayragavan, Meyyarasan and Karthikeyan conducted a postmortem examination. The report revealed that the leopard died of suffocation after the barbed wire became tightly wrapped around its neck, leg and abdomen.

Forest officials also questioned local farm owners to determine whether there had been any recent incidents of leopard attacks in the area. “There were no incidents of leopard attacks in the past few days. It appears that the leopard may have entered the farmland for the first time and accidentally got caught in the fence,” an official said.

Further inquiries are underway.